Feed-governor for mills, &amp;c.



7 N0. 810,978. PATBNTED JAN. 30, 1906. G. H. & A. J. RICHARDS. FEED GOVERNOR FOR MILLS, 8:0.

A PPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 810,978. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. 0. H. & A. J. RICHARDS. FEED GOVERNOR FOR MILLS, &0.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1904.

a sums-sum 2.

UUUUEUUUUUUUUU No. 810,978. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. G. H. & A. J. RICHARDS. FEED GOVERNOR FOR MILLS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. RICHARDS AND ALBERT J. RICHARDS, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

FEED-GOVERNOR FOR MILLS, 81.0.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed January 2, 1904. Serial No. 187,407-

To all whom it may concern: T

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. RIGH- ARDS and ALBERT J. RICHARDS, citizens of the United States, residing at Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Governors for Mills, &c., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to means for automatically governing the feed of grist-mills or other apparatus where it is desirable that the feed be in proportion to the power whereby the power may not be overtaxed by excessive feed on the one hand nor wasted by insufiicient feed on the other hand; and our present invention is designed more especially as an improvement on an apparatus for accomplishing these results forming'the subjectmatter of the claims of our pending application, Serial No. 157,364, filed May 16, 1903, one of the especial objects of the present invention being to provide improved means whereby the valve or slide may be readily moved by hand independently of the governor and without interfering with the operation of the latter, and a further object being to force the material continually and uniformly toward the valve or opening of the slide by improved means, either with or without means for causing straws, particles of husk, and other foreign matter to work through the opening under the slide.

With these ends in view our invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a feed-hopper and mechanism provided with our improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof looking from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, certain parts being omitted and others being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the governor-shaft and head-actuated shaft for moving the valve or slide, partly in longitudinal section. Fig. 5 is a plan or face view of the slide or valve and the racks thereon by which it is moved. Fig.

6 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof on the line 6 6, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail-crosssection of the governor-shaft, taken on the line 7 7, Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional View of the governor and its shaft.

Fig. 9 is a transverse section thereof on the line 9 9, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a face view, partly broken away, of the-ratchet-wheels through the medium of which the governor shifts the valve or slide; and Fig. 11 is a sectional view thereof on the line 11 11, Fig. 10.

1 is a feed-hopper provided with an inclined bottom, as usual, in one side of which is formed a feed-opening 2, which is guarded by a valve or slide 3 of the usual or any suitable form guided and supported on the hopper by any appropriate guides. In the bottom of the hopper just below the lower end of the slide 3 and at the extreme lower end of the feed-opening 2 is arranged an outwardlyturning roller 4, which is provided with a corrugated surface and serves to work or force particles of straw, husks, and other foreign matter out of the hopper, so as to prevent the feed-opening from becoming clogged therewith when the slide 3 is adjusted very close to the lower end of the opening. Within the hop er and revolving in a semicylindrical poc ret 5 is a feed-accelerator in the form of two paddles 6 7 and a cylindrical body por- 'tion 8, with reference to which one face of that direction, so that the grain or material will be thrown outwardly or away from the paddle toward the opening and not carried around with the paddle, as would be the case if the paddles were reversed. This feed-accelerator 6 7 8 is mounted on a suitable shaft 9, driven in unison with and in the same direction as the roller 4 by any suitable means, such as sprocketchain 10 and sprocketwheels 11 12, secured on the roller 4 and shaft 9, respectively, the shaft 9 being driven by belt 13 from a sprocket 14 on governorshaft 15, which in turn is driven by a pulley 16 from anysuitable source of power, or the means for thus driving the feed-accelerator and roller 4 may be any other suitable system of belting or train of gears. The crushingrolls each act upon the material as it falls Ioo ers or grinding means may be employed in their stead.

Secured to the outer face of the slide or valve 3 is a rack-bar 22, andengaging with this is a pinion 23, mounted upon a shaft 24,

connected by miter-pinion with mitergear 26 on a shaft 27, extending at an angle to the shaft 24 to the opposite side of the hop per 1 and being there provided with two' ratchet-wheels 28 29, preferably, though not necessarily, independent of each other and both loosely mounted on shaft 24, but operatively connected therewith by friction meanssuch, for example, as springs 30 31 and collars 32 33, against which the springs abut and serve to force the ratchet-wheels 28 29 toward and against an intermediate hub or disk 34, the latter and the collars 32 33 being rigidly secured to the shaft 27 so that the pressure of the springs thereagainst will be sufficient to impart the rotative tendency of the ratchets to the hub 34 and shaft 27, while at the same time allowing either or both of the ratchet-wheels 28 29 to revolve independently of the shaft 27 in the event the slide or valve 22 meets an obstruction or resistance greater than the rotative action of the springs 31 32 on the shaft 27. The teeth of the ratchet-wheels 28 29 are projected in opposite directions, as more clearly indicated in Fig. 10, and arranged between the ratchetwheels and fulcrumed against the hub 34 is a pawl-bar 35, which carries two pawls 36 37, arranged to engage the ratchet-wheels 28 29, respectively. These pawls are in the form of flat blades or teeth adjustably secured by set-screws 38, so that their relative positions may be altered, if necessary. The upper end of this bar is yieldingly held against its fulcrum 34 by any suitable means, as a spring 39, while its lower end, as better shown in Figs. 1 and 7, is pivotally connected by uni- .versal joint 40 to an eccentric-strap 41, in 55' which revolves an eccentric 42, securedto internal shaft 43, contained within governorshaft 15 and connected in any suitable way -at its inner end to the centrifugal governor contained within a casing 44. According to our present invention this internal shaft 43 4 is provided at its inner end with a cross-bar 45, whose ends engage, respectively, with one s of the arms 46 of each of two bell-cranks,

said cross-bar and are so pivoted in ears or lugs 47 on the casing 44 that their oscillation will impart longitudinal movement to the shaft 43, and thereby oscillate the pawl-bar 35 on its fulcrum against the hub 34, and hence at one time throw the lower pawl 37 so far away from the teeth of ratchet 28 as to prevent it from engaging therewith when it rises by the action of the eccentric 42 and at another time draw the pawl 37 inwardly to cause it to engage teeth 28, and thus rotate ratchet 28 each time the pawl-bar 35 rises,

. while'holding the pawl 36 so far away from the teeth of ratchet 29 as to prevent it from engaging therewith as the pawl-bar descends. Hence it will be seen that by this mechanism and the continual vertical or reciprocating movement of pawl-bar 35 the shaft 27 will be rotated toward the right or the left, according to the longitudinal movement of the shaft 43, and in thus rotating will correspondingly raise or lower the slide 3 through the intermediary of pinion 24 and rack-bar 22. If, however, the slide 23 should meet an obstruction or should be entirely closed or en tirely open during this operation of the ratchets 28 29, the latter will simply revolve harmlessly on their shaft27 without moving slide .3 or causing damage to any of the mechanism. The described oscillation of the arms pivot-pins 53 on the bifurcated ends 54 of the links 51, which straddle the arms 52,

pivots 55 of the links 50 51 being so arranged as to permit the weights 48 to oscillate on their pivots 49 without materially oscillating the links 50 51. The weights are drawn inwardly by springs 56, each having its ends attached to screws 57, passing through lugs 58 on the weights 48.

The action of the governor-weights on the shaft 43 does not differ materially from the action of any other centrifugal governor. The springs 56 strain the weights toward one another, and by thus pushing on the out wardly-extending arms 52 of the bell-cranks cause the other arms 46 of the bell-cranks to move toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 8, and thereby move the shaft 43 in the same direction, throwing the lower pawl or tooth 37 into position to engage the teeth 28; but

as the mill speeds up and the centrifugal the left, as viewed in Fig. 8, and consequently throw the pawl or tooth 37 out of action and if moved far enough throw the upper pawl of tooth 36 into action for engaging the teeth 29.

Should it be desired to close the slide or valve 3 when the mill is shut down, or at any other time, or to alter its initial position to give it more or less feed independently of the governor, such movement may be accomplished by hand-wheel or knob 59, mounted on shaft 60, carrying a pinion 61, engaging With a rack-bar 62, secured to the outer face of slide 3. As shown in Fig. 4, this shaft 60 is indicated as a sleeve j ournaled upon areduced portion 63 of the pinion-shaft 24 as a means of sustaining the shaft 60 butany other suitable construction may be employed. When the shaft 60 is turned, raising or lowering the slide 3 independently of pinion 23, the slide 3 slides with reference to rack-bar 22, which is operatively connected with the slide by any suitable friction devicesuch, for example, as a spring 64, interposed between rack-bar 22 and slide 3 or a set-screw 65, passing through a slot 66 in slide 3, which also serves for the retention of guide-screw 67 at the other end of the rack-bar. The rack-bar 22 is also shown as provided with an adjustingscrew 68, threaded in a flange 69 thereof, and so arranged as to be engaged by the pinion 23, and thereby prevent the further rotation of the latter in one direction, thus providing means whereby the action of the governor upon the slide or valve 3 may be confined to any desired range of opening movement.

In order that the weight of the slide or valve may not be sufiicient to rotate the pinion 23in the reverse direction, and thus alter its position with relation to roller 4, the ratchet-wheels 28 29 are subjected to sufficient friction to hold themagainst rotation under the weight of the valve or slide, while at the same time permitting them to be ro-.

tated by the action of the pawl-bar 35. This may be accomplished by means of a sliding rod 70, mounted in a pair of standards 71 and adapted to press against the side of ratchet 28, a spring 72 being slipped over the rod between one of the standards 71 and the nut or adjustable shoulder 73, threaded or otherwise secured on the rod 70, so as to normally press the latter toward the face of ratchet 28. This pressure is resisted on the other side and the two ratchet-wheels held against axial movement on their shaft 27 by any suitable stop, such as a set-screw 74, threaded in a standard 75.

The ratchet-wheels 28 29 in this example of the invention are shown as being composed of two parts fitted together face to face against hub 34 on their shaft 27; but so far as their functions are concerned they might be made in one piece, the two-part construction being resorted to for convenience in manufacture.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a feed-governor for mills, &c., the combination of a-valve, a rack-bar, a yielding connection between said rack-bar and valve, a pinion engaging said rack-bar, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said pinion with relation to the rack-bar, and means for rotating said pinion in either direction according to the speed of the mill.

2. In a feed-governor for mills, &c., the combination of a valve, two rack-bars on said valve, one of which is movable longitudinally with relation to the other, frictional means for connecting said movable bar to the valve, two pinions engaging said rack-bars respectively, each for moving said valve, a handoperating means connected with one of said pinions and an automatic governor connected with the other of said pinions for causing it to rotate in either direction.

3. In a feed-governor for mills, &c., the combination of a valve, a centrifugal governor comprising a pulley, a shaft on which said pulley is mounted, ing through said first shaft and being movable longitudinally therein and rotatable therewith, two governor-Weights revoluble with said first shaft, two bell-crank levers connected with said spectively, a cross-bar secured to said internal shaft and projecting from said first shaft on both sides thereof, and engagin said bellcranks, and means whereby sai valve is moved in either direction by the rotation of said internal shaft, and accordingto the direction of longitudinal movement of said internal shaft.

4. In a feed-governor combination of a hopper having a horizontal feed-opening, a feed-valve in the side thereof, a horizontal rotatable feed-accelerator ournaled in said ho per and comprising two paddles and a bod y portion,the outer face of said paddles being formed at a tangent to said body portion,

and means for rotating said feed-accelerator with said tangent faces toward the feed-opening.

5. In a feed-governor for mills, &c., the combination of a valve, means for moving 'said valve in either direction, comprising a shaft, two ratchet-wheels on the said shaft, having two series of ratchet-teeth each extending entirely around its wheel and being turned in opposite directions, pawls for engaging said ratchet-teeth respectively, and means for actuating said pawls, and governing mechanism for throwing said pawls alternately into action according to the speed of the mill.

6. The combination of a hopper having a a second shaft pass- 7 for mills, &c., the

longitudinal feed-opening in the side thereof, for rotating said feed-aooelerator with its flat a rotatable feed -aecelerator journaled in tangent side toward said feed-opening. saigfhopper and havidng its axle pargllgl with O H RICHARDS sai eed-o enin ,an com risin a 0 ortion and a laddl e, said paddle ex tending l on-' RICHARDS gitudinally of said feed-opening and having a Witnesses:

flat side arranged at a tangent to the axle of F. A. HOPKINS,

rotation of the feed-accelerator, and means M. B. ALLSTADT. 

